The 8 Best Food Photographers in Des Moines

Central Iowa is the best place to start looking if you are a brand trying to get the word out on what you have cooking. That said, food photographers are a diverse lot. Their styles range from commercial to documentary in style. How will you know who has an approach that works well with your theme? Among the most talented Des Moines food photographers, each offers a unique creative vision. And they’re bound to be a perfect fit for your business!

1. Bruce of Dodgen Photography

Portraits, weddings, and commercial photography are what Bruce Dodgen does best! When creating culinary commercial artistry, he often works from above, capturing expansive views of the entire spread. These compositions create a bountiful atmosphere and encourage us to spend a moment exploring what’s on offer. Bruce also favors natural colors that best represent a dish without distracting from the sensual character of a food or beverage.

2. Byron Jones Media

Food photography and videography are a few of the commercial specialties of Byron Jones! He happens to be a Des Moines food photographer who is unafraid to bring you up close and personal with his subjects.

Byron’s compositions take you to the table using perspectives that heighten our sensory delight. Colors are nicely saturated without feeling unnatural. They inspire memories of having tasted the tang of tomato sauce, the creaminess of a vegetable soup, and so on. Byron also chooses backgrounds that best compliment the theme of a project!

3. Justin Tedford Photography

One of the most talented Des Moines food photographers, Justin Tedford boasts a portfolio exuding rich textures, ideal colors, and expertly styled food photography. His style is a subdued one, with lighting and colors that don’t distract you from the artful qualities of a culinary arrangement. He also favors shadow and nicely diffused light, crafting a moody style that feels quiet and peaceful.

In addition, Justin captures a behind-the-scenes look at where our food comes from through his agricultural photography. Before dishes even come to restaurants they have to be grown. His portfolio includes narrative-driven images of the people, places, and companies who make that happen.

4. IFC Studios

IFC Studios is the culmination of eight talented commercial photographers who partner with brands throughout Iowa and the Midwest. Food photography is just one of the talents they offer to businesses looking to be competitive, but it’s a talent you really need to see to believe! IFC Studios conveys the entire experience on offer at a restaurant or bar.

They start with the people behind the brand, taking us behind the counter or into the kitchen. We see the enthusiasm of the folks who bring dishes to life. And then the final result greets us in an artistic and contemporary way! Colors, textures, and other sensory elements sing to us through the visual medium, promising a food experience like no other.

5. Paul Gates Photography

Paul Gates Photography was founded in 1989 and has been a favorite of Des Moines brands ever since. His food, architecture, and editorial photography expertly convey sensory elements, company values, and experiences to audiences. Some of Paul’s satisfied customers include brands like Tone’s, Smash Park, and Stam Chocolate.

He uses natural colors in his style, avoiding punchy color grades that interfere with our direct experience of a dish or beverage. We get a clear sense of what’s on offer, including the textures, flavor, and innate beauty are all easy to recognize. His compositions are also carefully chosen, using hero angles to accent the strongest artistic elements of a subject, and framing subjects in ways that allow shapes, size, and color to fit the most pleasing proportions.

6. Brent Isenberger Photography

From products and drinks to architecture and portraiture, Brent Isenberger is not only a Des Moines food photographer but an expert commercial artist. Regardless of what your brand has to offer, he is ready and able to showcase it in the best possible light. Brent’s photography business has been a fixture of central Iowa for over 32 years and counting!

His work explores studio infinity backgrounds, on-location food portraits, and detailed macro food details — basically every aspect of the genre imaginable! Brent also displays flexibility in style that can fit any theme you have in mind. If you are looking for a dark and moody ambiance that fits your fine dining atmosphere, you’ll find it in his portfolio — likewise for vibrant and chipper exposures and everything else in between.

7. Adam Albright Photography

As a commercial and Des Moines food photographer, Adam Albright gets to travel the world, documenting the people, places, and dishes that cross his path. The hospitality and interior world makes up a major portion of his portfolio, deeply immersing viewers in the experience promised by a hotel or restaurant brand.

Adam’s work also explores the culinary options that different brands have to offer, presented in an artistic fashion. He uses well-chosen models that are dressed to best reflect the values of a given brand. Plus, his color grading heightens the emotional qualities of dishes and venues! Every element in the scene caters to the end result: inspiring you to come and have a taste of what’s cooking!

8. Bekah Bo Photography

As a commercial photographer, Rebekah Boaz Hebdon spends her days surrounded by interesting people, fascinating locations, and culinary delights! It’s the latter that caught our attention today. Her portfolio of food images is a sensory delight.

Rebekah favors rich, warm colors with bright lighting that brings out the moisture, glazes, and other reflective qualities of a dish. The vibrant exposure adds a zesty, celebratory element to the scene that’s ideal for steakhouses, desserts, and other fun dining experiences. Rebekah’s detail-rich macro shots make items even harder to resist, bringing to life sensory memories of the smell, feel, and taste of a particular dish.

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